Joey Bosa cream of Chargers' crop in NFL top-100 list

Joey Bosa cream of Chargers' crop in NFL top-100 list

Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa appears to be the cream of the crop that the team had to be provided in 2017, as he landed at no. 37 in NFL Network’s top-100 list Monday evening.

The mark places Bosa above his pass-rushing counterpart, DE Melvin Ingram after he finished at No. 78 on this year’s list. Cornerback Casey Hayward may have been the best cover corner in the game one season ago, but that didn’t get him any higher of a mark than No. 59. Quarterback Philip Rivers landed a few rungs above Hayward, finishing at No. 56 while his favorite target, wide receiver Keenan Allen, finished at No. 41.

With those Chargers off the board, the only foreseeable addition to the 2017 NFL top-100 list after Bosa would be running back Melvin Gordon. However, given that Gordon hasn’t even been able to eclipse the mediocre mark of 4.0 yards per carry in an NFL season to date, there is minimal possibility that he will make an appearance for the Bolts above Bosa’s No. 37 mark. But he did score 12 touchdowns and eclipsed the 1,000-yard mark for the first time in 2017, meaning anything is possible for the Bolts RB.

Meanwhile, Bosa is one of the hardest working, quickest and soundest technicians at his position in the game today. And that is something that his peers were not shy about showering Bosa with praise about.

“Bosa is so good with his hands . . . They compare him to J.J. Watt. He’s very similar to him with his quickness off of the line, and his hand usage is off the charts,” Eagles offensive tackle Lane Johnson said on NFL Network’s 5 p.m. PT airing Monday.

Raiders quarterback Derek Carr went on to praise Bosa’s hard-hitting ability before Gordon let it slip that the DE enjoys discussing TV shows on the sidelines at length. Even though Bosa is quirky, he is unquestionably one of the best pass rushers in the game today. And given Watt’s recent litany of injuries, it could even be said that Bosa projects to have the better season between the two in 2018.